Nasal oxygen tubes are in wide use for supplying oxygen to patients with breathing problems. While generally satisfactory in performance, those in current use are sometimes uncomfortable because as the body changes position the head sometimes moves rapidly to one side or toward the rear, pulling on the tube and causing discomfort to the user because the force applied to the tube tends to pull on the user's ears over which the tubes extend. The same thing can happen when changes are being made in the oxygen supply, for example when the oxygen supply tank is being replaced or for any of a variety of other reasons.
If the supply tube is pulled forcefully enough, besides pulling on the ears of the patient, the two smaller oxygen supply tubes that extend over the ears to the nasal manifold can actually be pulled out of the nasal manifold. If the tubes are not pulled out, the nasal manifold can be forced upwardly which tends to push against the nose, causing discomfort for the patient.